Columbus City Code Chapter 2125, adopted in 2024, prohibits the sale of flavored tobacco and vapor products including menthol within city limits. Ohio HB 105 attempted statewide preemption but was struck down, allowing Columbus enforcement.
Columbus City Council passed ordinances in 2024 codified at Columbus City Code Chapter 2125 banning the sale of flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes, flavored cigars, and flavored vapor or e-cigarette products. Ohio House Bill 105, signed in early 2024, sought to preempt local flavor bans, but Franklin County and appellate courts blocked enforcement after Columbus and other Ohio cities sued, leaving the local ban operative. Retailers within Columbus city limits cannot sell characterizing flavor products other than tobacco-flavored cigarettes. Columbus Public Health conducts compliance checks; first violations carry warnings, escalating to fines and license referrals. Tobacco-only flavor and unflavored vapor products remain legal. Litigation between the State of Ohio and Columbus is ongoing as of 2026.
Violations of Columbus City Code Chapter 2125 carry administrative fines starting around $500 per offense, escalating with repeats, plus referral to the Ohio Department of Taxation for possible state retail license suspension.
Columbus, OH
Ohio Department of Taxation licenses tobacco and vapor product retailers under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 5743. Columbus City Code Title 21 supplements with l...
Columbus, OH
Federal Tobacco 21 and Ohio Revised Code Section 2927.02 prohibit selling tobacco, vapor products, or alternative nicotine products to anyone under 21. Colum...
See how Columbus's flavored tobacco bans rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.